{"id":675,"date":"2019-03-22T11:11:46","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T01:11:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev2.e-cbd.com\/abkj\/articles\/?p=675"},"modified":"2019-11-08T11:42:54","modified_gmt":"2019-11-08T01:42:54","slug":"advance-health-directives-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abkj.com.au\/articles\/advance-health-directives-what-you-need-to-know\/","title":{"rendered":"Advance Health Directives: What you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

Estate and succession law is built on one central pillar: preparedness. We draft wills<\/a> to ensure our loved ones receive our assets when we cannot distribute them ourselves, and we sign Enduring Powers of Attorney so that in the event we cannot make decisions, someone we trust can. The lesser-discussed Advance Health Directive (AHD) is yet another example of preparing for the unknown.<\/p>\n

What is an AHD?<\/h2>\n

AHDs provide principals with an opportunity to provide or withhold consent with respect to certain medical treatments and health care practices. The documents sit dormant, with no effect, until such time that the principal does not have the capacity to give directions themselves. Most importantly, they provide peace of mind that in the absence of such capacity, care teams are still made aware of a patient\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n

AHDs are often referred to as \u2018living wills\u2019 for good reason. They are legal documents, witnessed by solicitors, which provide directions made by the principal. The distinction is that the content of the document relates to decisions regarding the principal that may be necessary to make whilst the principal is alive. AHDs allow principals to provide directions in relation to \u2013<\/p>\n